Paris Saint-Germain hosted Bayern Munich on Tuesday night in a packed and electric Parc des Princes for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. The match lived up to expectations, featuring the two most formidable attacking teams in the competition, and was a thrilling affair of rare intensity. Bayern coach Vincent Kompany stopped by after the match to give his immediate reactions to Canal+, discussing the incredible game and his desire to finish the job at the Allianz Arena next week in the second leg.
Kompany: “It’s a match for those who love football.”
Did you enjoy it?
I enjoyed watching the match, of course, but I don’t like being in the stands. I told Luis Enrique I don’t understand why he likes being in that position in the stands. I didn’t like it, but at the same time I appreciated the team’s work and mentality. I also respect the fact that it’s a match for those who love football today.
I’d prefer we didn’t concede any goals and kept scoring, but I know there’s quality on the pitch and we can’t do things halfway; either we go all in or we completely shut down the defense. That’s not the objective for us or for PSG. It was a good match.
Kompany: “We want this match”
How do you feel at the end of the match?
To be completely honest, there’s something special that can always happen at home. There will be 75,000 people; it’s going to be an incredible atmosphere, a massive crowd. We just had to be able to play this second leg, and at 5-2, it wasn’t a sure thing.
We never give up, we’ve already experienced that this season, we’re not going to let up. They’re coming to our place and we’re going to give it our all. We’ll give everything, even if it means giving up completely. We want this match, we want this match.
Kompany: “We’re facing a very good team.”
Were you scared at 5-2, though?
No, that’s football. I’m not really one for defeatism. I face reality; I know things can turn out this way. Even if there’s only a 1% chance, things can still go our way. Samir experienced it firsthand when we were players together and we won the title by scoring in the last three minutes.
It happens in football. What doesn’t happen is those who don’t believe, and we do. We have a second leg; we have to win, but at least things are clear. Looking at the chances in the match, we should also summarize our own opportunities; we could have put them away at home too. We’re facing a very good team, the best team of last season, so it’s normal that it’s difficult.
